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I used to frequent my school and county libraries to satisfy my light reading and reference interests. But they have since degenerated into tax funded Cultural Marxist centers that I only occasionally visit for the purpose of placing flyers in books.

And really, since the advent of the information super highway, why are these musty halls of dusty books even relevant today?

“A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot.” Robert A. Heinlein

Exactly what the title says: I would like to know if the Skadi members use the libraries in their communities, or if they simply buy books in book stores instead.
And if you do use libraries, when will you actually purchase a book to keep?

I use libraries, but I also buy books. It depends. I only buy books I would like to have in my collection, otherwise I prefer to borrow books from libraries. I also prefer paper format to digital one.

My family has lots of books, so I kind of have a private family library. I also bought lots of books myself, so I have my own collection too. My ex also has many many books, I borrowed lots from him, and didn't have time to read them all, but I can borrow them again anytime, if he still has them. Unfortunately many of his books were stolen over the years (he used to live in many shared places, while some books were stolen from his mother's home, when she rented out a room in the apartment) or were not given back from those to whom he borrowed the books. The same happened to my father, he borrowed books which he never saw back. So this is why I prefer to not borrow books myself, unless it's someone I know I can really trust (very close friend or such). I really love books, and hopefully I'll have my own little private library too.

What some of you described here as being the situation in the public libraries sounds horrible! I've only been in public libraries, other than university libraries, a very few times in the last couple of years, but I never experienced such a thing as those previously described here! I usually go to university libraries, and there's quite silent and nice. Even though they are also open to everyone (you don't need to be a student to borrow books there), probably they have stricter rules... and in such places I usually see students studying hard, so it's a rather silent atmosphere.

Personally I prefer to study at home, I only read in libraries sometimes, and I love those with open shelves, where you can look at any book you want... This way I discovered lots of interesting books I never thought about! I like to study with some music on sometimes, so studying in libraries isn't the best option for me. I also like reading on a bench somewhere in nature, rather than in a library. It's good to have some distraction too, and also to admire the landscape at the same time.

Originally Posted by Finnish Swede

Alice: Have you ever faced so called ''reading education assistance dog'' (or whatever they call it in engish) in library?

I went to the local library every weekend between the ages of 6-13 often borrowing the same books over and over again - those were old school libraries, there were no public computers yet and no migrants. The building housing the library was torn down a decade ago, but I still regularly end up there in my dreams.

“How can one explain this trend towards a more colorless and shallow life? Well, the work was easier, if less healthy, and it brought in more money, more leisure, and perhaps more entertainment. A day in the country is long and hard. And yet the fruits of their present life were worthless compared to a single coin of their former life: a rest in the evening and a rural festivity. That they no longer knew the old kind of happiness was obvious from the discontentment which spread over their features. Soon dissatisfaction, prevailing over all their other moods, became their religion.” - Ernst Jünger, The Glass Bees

I went to the local library every weekend between the ages of 6-13 often borrowing the same books over and over again

Which books were you borrowing over and over again?

I've almost never been to the library at that age, I had at home almost every book I needed to read for school, plus lots of children's literature (I still remember very clear the images from some of them).

I've almost never been to the library at that age, I had at home almost every book I needed to read for school, plus lots of children's literature (I still remember very clear the images from some of them).

Books on the World Wars mostly, even as a six year old, just to look at the pictures. And then make my dad take copies of the images, which I then cut out of the paper and somehow played with or used in my own attempts at making "books". And a few other books about mysteries and spectacular prison breaks - mostly non-fiction. I rarely read fiction longer than a short story, although I read a lot. I borrowed some cool comics and a handful of favorite children's books too.

That seems so long ago now.

“How can one explain this trend towards a more colorless and shallow life? Well, the work was easier, if less healthy, and it brought in more money, more leisure, and perhaps more entertainment. A day in the country is long and hard. And yet the fruits of their present life were worthless compared to a single coin of their former life: a rest in the evening and a rural festivity. That they no longer knew the old kind of happiness was obvious from the discontentment which spread over their features. Soon dissatisfaction, prevailing over all their other moods, became their religion.” - Ernst Jünger, The Glass Bees

Books on the World Wars mostly, even as a six year old, just to look at the pictures. And then make my dad take copies of the images, which I then cut out of the paper and somehow played with or used in my own attempts at making "books".

Now you reminded me that I also had attempts of creating my own books and magazines... mostly magazines. I was drawing my own images for that, inspired by the cartoons I was watching. I was also writing stories for the magazines, inspired by the cartoons. I was about 8 or 9 years old, I think... I still have the 'magazines' I created back then.

Originally Posted by Chlodovech

And a few other books about mysteries and spectacular prison breaks - mostly non-fiction. I rarely read fiction longer than a short story, although I read a lot. Some cool comics and a handful of favorite children's books too.

I used to borrow magazines about mysteries from the high school library. Besides history books, of course. But I did have a fascination about mysteries and I still have.

I remember when I was a kid my family was buying me children's comics magazines, it was one in Hungarian, very nice one, and on the last cover it also had food recipes...

Unfortunately my mom threw away all those nice magazines some years later... I only keep their memory and I'm glad to find pics of them on internet. From all the children's books I read as a child I mostly remember the images, not the story plots...